Today’s post covers Saturday, July 15^th, and the guys are still in Okanogan, Washington.  The western Okanogan Highlands has historically been a significant source of mineral production. While the primary target has been gold, other ore deposits have been mined as well.

But when I think of Okanogan, I think of peaches – and apples – and BLUEBERRIES!  For example, check out their lunch time view:

In that last picture, can you see the little tiny person almost in the middle of the shot? He’s picking blueberries, and the plants are up to his shoulders! They grow them big up here.

And here are some apple and peach shipping containers. Each is 4′ by 4′ by 2 1/2′.

In the town of Brewster, the guys admired this beautiful birch tree and an iron cowboy:

Nearby is Lake Chelan:

The following shot shows Wells Dam on the Columbia River, but there’s more to this story than just water management and power generation. The design of the Wells Project is unique in that the generating units, spillways, switchyard and fish passage facilities are combined into a single structure referred to as the hydrocombine.

The Wells Project has fish ladders at each end of the dam. Fish ladders allow adult fish to easily pass the dam in their upstream migration. These adult fish are returning to spawning areas and hatcheries in the Columbia, Methow, and Okanogan rivers. To reach Wells Dam, these fish have already migrated 515 miles from the mouth of the Columbia.

And here are a couple of views of the Okanogan River in Fort Okanogan State Park.

Fort Okanogan was founded in 1811 on the confluence of the Okanogan and Columbia Rivers as a fur trade outpost. Originally built for John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, it was the first American-owned settlement within Washington State.

Now an interpretive center, Fort Okanogan’s mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation for the rich history of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, specifically that relating to the Okanogan Tribe and the fur trade industry in Washington State.

Well, that’s all the photos for today. Tomorrow the guys will be in Spokane — stay tuned for more photos!